Pediatric Concussions
Excerpt from our full article
Head Injuries in young children:
Concussion is taking a spotlight in the media currently due to a number of tragic events both in professional football and high school sports. Better equipment, rule changes and prevention are all admirable goals. But more awareness needs to be given to the diagnosis and management of concussion and the misunderstandings surrounding this topic.
Concussion is very common in young adults and some studies say that up to 1/3 of high school athletes will suffer a concussion. Even with that number, concussion often goes unrecognized and undiagnosed. This is dangerous because a child with a concussion is much more susceptible to a second injury. Some studies put this at four times more likely to get a second concussion before full recovery. This susceptibility and the resulting damage is called Second Impact Syndrome and carries with it a 50% mortality rate. Therefore, it is extremely important to get a diagnosis and allow for full recovery.
What to look for?
Signs and symptoms of concussion are usually broken up into three categories: physical, emotional and cognitive. These could include headache, nausea, dizziness, confusion, irritable, nervousness, fatigue, forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating. The presenting symptoms may come from any of these categories and have a very wide presentation among different injuries. Loss of consciousness is actually uncommon for someone with a concussion and may indicate severe intracranial injury. Do not let absence of any particular symptom rule out a concussion.
Diagnosis, Treatment and Recovery, and Returning to Activity[...]
Resources for Coaches and Parents:
CDC Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports:
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